SUPERMAN: LOVE AND WAR
by ABOOK5117
Summary: Pre-Flashpoint Superman finds himself having save the world, as well as his friends and loved ones, from the Roman god of war, Mars.
1. PART: 1

_**DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS SUCH AS PRE-FLASHPOINT SUPERMAN, BATMAN ETC. ARE ALL COPYRIGHT PROPERTY OF DC COMICS. ALSO, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT IT IS INSPIRED FROM THE FIGHT SCENE IN THE MOVIE 'DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS', WHICH IS OWNED BY TOEI ANIMATION AND FUNIMATION. NO PROFIT IS BEING MADE FROM THIS STORY AND IT IS FOR SOLEY ETNERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY, IN OTHER WORDS, PLEASE DON'T SUE.**_

 _ **ALSO, I SHOULD NOTE THAT THIS STORY WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSE TO BE ' SCENE' AND WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSE TO BE A BIGGER STORY, BUT I NEVER GOT AROUND TO PROPERLY PLANNIGN IT OUT. STILL, I FELT COMPELLED TO SHOW IT TO ALL FAN-FIC FANS WHO JUST LOVE A LITTLE BIT OF GODLY ACTION!**_

 _ **FINAL NOTE: I AM AWARE THAT DC LIKES TO USE GREEK GODS, BUT FOR THIS ONE, DECIDED TO GO WITH ROMAN GOES TO TRY AND THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. BUT DON'T WORRY, IT'S NOT BASED ON THE CANNON TIMELINE BUT SAID TOO MUCH! ENJOY!**_

The Roman Colosseum, normally a proud landmark to the Italian people, as well as a sight to behold for tourists, but this time, it served as a place of dread as it was engulfed in a large reddish aura, with the Italian army and police completely unable to the to break through it with their resources, leaving the pedestrians in complete fear and confusion.

While the outside of the Colosseum was pure chaos, what was going on in the inside was much worse. Namely, the entire Justice League was now completely incapacitated. Heroes such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, the Flash and the two Green Lanterns, Simon Baz and Jessica Crus, were all being held and frozen in place inside capsules made of mystic energy, looking as if they tried to shield themselves from the energy that was about to hit their bodies, but to no avail. And the mightiest of the Justice League, a muscular built, black haired man clad in a blue jumpsuit, red cape and a red and yellow 'S' on his chest, and though he went by the name of Clark 'White', the world knew him as Superman! He found himself restrained as well, but this time, his wrists were chained down to the floor, and to make matters worse, the chains themselves were given a special magical enchantment, which prevented the Man of Steel from breaking them with his strength. He was also wearing a necklace with a gold amulet in the shape of a bow and arrow, which was given to him by one of the world's most powerful sorcerers, Dr. Fate, yet it was doing nothing to help out of this situation. Something in which was making a worried Clark wonder why Fate would give him such a useless accessory to begin with.

And the person responsible for all of this was a red haired man draped in red and gold ancient Roman warrior armor with a red cape, with a matching red hair and fiery red eyes. Was more than a mere man, for he was one of the powerful Gods that were worshiped in Ancient Rome and because of his love for fighting and causing conflicts, he was known by the people, as well as has fellow deities, as Mars, the God of War. And with the League now captured, Mars walked over to a large, red glowing red sphere, which was the nucleus of his master plan, for it was composted on negative energy that would make mortals succumb to their darkest emotions, such as fear, anger and hate. And with his godly power, Mars planned on expanding it to consume the entire planet and fill the human race with so much negative energy that it would drive them into a third world war, with all the countries using their resources to destroy one another.

It was a planned in which many of Mars' fellow Gods deemed unnecessary, but as far as he was concerned, the only true solution for the planet. He didn't so much mind the conflicts that already happened every day on Earth, after all, observing them was part his 'job.' But more importantly, he grew tired of hearing his fellow gods complain about mankind's carelessness was destroying the planet's oceans, forest and wildlife, and as such, he felt that having humanity engage in a full-scale war that would nearly destroy everything, but leave few survivors would be a good chance to start over. And as far as the survivors go, it may take time, but he could wait for new conflicts to arise. All in all, this was his way cleaning the slate and creating a newer, stronger world.

Something that made Mars smile a little as he watched the glowing sphere. "This day is mine, as I predicted" said the confident War God as he walked over to the sphere and began the next stage of his plan, namely to raise his glowing hands over it and use his powers to expand it until it engulfed the planet. "In due time, Lord Jupiter and the rest of the Gods will thank me for this."

To make matters even more hectic was the fact that news vans and reporters were all around the Colosseum broadcasting not only in Rome…

…But also in the United States, more specifically, in the home of the 'White' family. And in their living room were members of the 'White' family. The first being the lovely brunette, reporter and mother, Lois Lane, and her eight-year-old son, Jon, both sitting on the couch and watching the whole event, all looking worried and distressed as they saw the glowing building, and feeling that Clark was in , having had enough waiting around, Jon gets up with tears in his eyes. "THAT'S IT! I'M HELPING DAD!"

Lois quickly grabbed Jon's arm to stop him and turned him around to face him. "No, you're not!" she told her son sternly, then turned him around to face her. "Jon, trust me when I say that your dad has faced things far worse than this, and both he and I don't want you to get hurt!"

"But Mom, I'm invincible," Jon answered back, which earned him a skeptic look from Lois, who knew full well his powers are still developing and haven't quite gotten to that point yet. This caused Jon to have a bit of an uneasy look as he continued in his attempt to convince her. "Well, most of the time. Some of the time…?"

"And it's that 'some of the time' that concerns me!" Lois replied with a narrowed brown, and once she saw Jon look down at the floor with despair, she let out a sigh and placed her the tips of her middle and index finger and gently made him look up to her. "Sweetie, as long as I've known your father, I've known him to always pull through when things got rough, and this time will be no different. You just have to do what I and the rest of the people living in this crazy world that he's trying to save…believe in him."

Jon still wanted to go out to Rome and help his father, but he found out a long time ago that there was no point in arguing with his mother at this point, and thus gave her a reluctant nod.

Lois gave Jon a small kiss on his forehead and hugged him, while at the same time, looked at the TV screen which still had the Roman Colosseum on the screen. _"Smallville,'_ she thought. _"For the sake of both the world, and our son, you sure as hell better prove me right!"_

Back in Rome, Mars was basking in his glory as he held his glowing hands over the sphere and was about to begin the process of increasing the negative energy and plunge the entire world into chaos.

As for Clark, he still struggled to get out of his mystic chains, but even with all his might, it was still no use. It was here that he was beginning to beginning that if Fate made a mistake in giving him this seemingly useless amulet around his neck.

As for Mars, who was still charging up the sphere, he looked down at Clark with a condescending expression. "I must admit, Kryptonian, you disappoint me. I expected much more fight in you," this statement earned him a surprised and confused look from Clark. "Oh yes, I know who you are, and more importantly, I know which universe you and your family REALLY come from. And after how you performed earlier, I pity them that they have you as a husband and father, and for their sake, I'll see to it that their given a quick demise in the upcoming war, to spare them of YOUR failures."

Clark's eyes soon lit red with rage, both literally and figuratively. It was one thing for him to be easily bested by a god trying to destroy the world, but when said god mentioned his wife and child, the two people he cherished more than anything in existence, and implied their destruction, it was enough to make the usual peace loving Clark's blood boil. "Don't you dare go near my family, you arrogant…!"

Suddenly, at that very moment, the amulet around Clark's neck started to glow in a goldish aura, and caused Clark to feel a slight jolt go up his spine. For the amulet sensed and was awakened by something in Clark's heart. While it did sense his anger, it was mostly fueled by another emotion…love. The love he has for both Lois and Jon. And it was this same love that caused the amulet to engulf Clark's body with the same golden glow, and strangely enough, he was not the only one feeling this strange power.

For all the way back in the White farm, both Lois and Jon feel this jolt of power as well, complete with the glow around their bodies.

Something that certainly astounded Lois, even though by now she's seen more bizarre things since marrying Clark. "What in the...?"

Though Jon would never say such things in front of his mother, he was thinking the same thing. And what shocked him more, is that he somehow felt a spiritual in Rome. "Mom, I think…I feel Dad."

Upon hearing her son's words, Lois stopped trying to figure out what was going on for a moment, and realized that she too felt a spiritual bond with her husband, but in her heart, most of all. "Me too, kiddo."

This connection is felt by Clark as well, who even all the way in Rome, he felt his family's presence, and for a moment, seemed to wash away his anger. "Lois…Jon…"

While momentarily mystically reunited with his family, Clark suddenly received two, thin laser beams into his right shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain.

The shooter of which was none other than Mars, who looked down at the chained Clark with now smoking eyes. "You dare insult the God of War?"

Through this connection, both Lois and Jon saw Clark received such a painful blast, and were naturally worried. "DAD!" exclaimed Jon, wanting even more to jump in and help his father.

"CLARK, NO!" yelled Lois, equally terrified at seeing her husband in pain.

It was upon hearing the voices of his family that make Clark shake off the pain, as well as causing the amulet to engulf him in a gold aura, which was now fueled by the love he had for his wife, child, as well as the entire planet that he grew to love and cherish since arriving her from his own dimension. As such, it was enough to get Clark to get up on his feet and look straight at the War God. "MARS!" he yelled. "I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY ALL THAT I LOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEE!" At that moment, the now glowing Clark shot straight up into the air, and in the process, brought through the chains that were holding him down.

A sight in which completely shocked the Roman God of War himself. "What?!"

The now free and airborne Clark looked down to get the stunned Mars in his sights, then flew straight down toward him like a comet fall from the sky, then threw a right hook once he got close enough to him.

However, Mars countered this by holding up his open right hand and grabbed Clark's right wrist, stopping his punch. Then, he used his left hand to grab Clark's belt and hurled him over his head like a javelin, sending the Man of Steel down to the floor.

Luckily though, Clark controlled his fall by rolling forward on the floor and ending up in a kneeling position. Once he turned around, his eyes literally burned red once he saw Mars again thus flew towards him with speed that would put all scud missile to shame.

Once he realized that he couldn't dodge the Kryptonian's assault in time, Mars secretly placed his hand over the mystical sphere and made it shrink into his palm, choosing to bring it back out once he dealt with Clark, who then grabbed both the War God by his shoulders and took him straight into the air. With his golden aura glowing brighter than ever before, as well as letting out a loud scream, Clark literally rammed Mars' back up against the energy 'ceiling' of the Colosseum, and with so much force, he manages to plow the War God straight through it, causing a large flash of blinding light. This resulted in the mystical energy that was once surrounding the landmark to dissipate, and allowing Clark to rocket into the sky, with Mars' firmly in his grip.

As the crowd outside saw Clark take to Mars up into the air in shock, more of the War's God's mystic influence was being broken inside Colosseum itself. Namely that the energy bubbles that held the Justice League captive all disappeared, which freed the heroes and caused them to fall to the floor dazed and confused.

And if that wasn't enough, two more flashes of light of light occurred, and both Lois and Jon are transported to the Colosseum as well, and as both he and his mother looked around at their surroundings, he is the first to say what Lois and the rest of the League were thinking. "Uh, what just happened?"

Green Lantern Simon Baz, also looked around and was just as flabbergasted. "The hell if I know kid," said Simon, and once he saw that Clark was nowhere to be found, "But if I had to guess? The Boy Scout."

Moments later, another flash occurred and this time, it is that of Dr. Fate coming into view. "Well, you're not wrong in that regard, Mr. Baz."

Lois, pulling Jon close to her, looked at Fate with a stern yet worried look. "Well, cryptic answers aside, where is my husband?"

To answer, Dr. Fate channeled his energy into his hands, and thus created a ten-foot mystic screen, which showed the image of the flying and glowing Clark now in the sky, keeping a tight grip on Mars. "High above us," said the helmeted sorcerer. "And hopefully saving us all."

Back in the sky, Mars had had just about enough of being in the still glowing Clark's grip and at his mercy, and thus he used his right leg to deliver a knee strike to Clark's face, forcing him to release the War God. Once there was some space between them, Mars began to glowing in a red aura, then flew forward, pulled his left fist back and intended to give Clark a downward left hook, intending to send him back down to the Earth with fury.

Luckily for Clark though, he recovered fast enough to see Mars heading down towards him, and thus dashed to the right side, allowing Mars himself to hit nothing but air and pass right by him.

Mars did manage to stop himself, however, and upon turning and looking at Clark, his eyes turn red with rage and roared angrily as he rocketed back towards him, this time coking his right fist back and going for an uppercut.

Fortunately for Clark though, he saw this coming and held up his right arm in front of his face and not only did eh block the punch, but he also pushed Mars' fist to left side, causing him to pass and fly right above him. Once he looked up and saw Mars stop and turn, Clark went on the offensive by flying up and going for a left hook.

However, Mars countered this by throwing a left hook of his own, colliding his fist with Clark's and pushing it to the right side. Moments later, Mars tried fight back by throwing a right jab, which is stopped when Clark used his right arm to block the blow. Now frustrated, the War God tightly clinched his left fist and threw another hard hook, intending to use his godly strength to literally knock the Kryptonian's head off his shoulders.

Seeing the danger, Clark immediately ducked to avoid the punch, and while in the bent position, he retaliated by throwing a right uppercut into Mars' chest plate, more specifically, the abdomen. And, thanks to both the yellow sun in the sky, as well as the magic from the amulet, he managed to shatter the chest plate and made a direct hit in Mars' gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying backward, and in the process, caused his cape to fall off and expose his muscular upper body. Now having a clear advantage, Clark flew after the reeling Mars, and once he got close to him, both he and the War God began trading lightning fast punches with one another.

Both powerful beings managed to block each others' blows with expert timing and speed, but it is Clark who managed to successfully land a left jab into Mars' face, then followed up it with a right hook to the dazed God's jaw, sending flying and plowing through clouds.

While reeling, Mars recovered fast enough to spot Clark coming his way with a fierce left hook, forcing him to hold up his left arm to block the incoming punch, then responded by holding Clark's left arm and give him the opening to throw a left legged round kick, hitting Clark in his side and sending him hurling away from at high speeds. Afterwards, the War God gave chase and upon arriving face to face with Clark, attempted to capitalize by throwing a right hook.

However, Clark soon stopped this attack by holding up his open right hand and catch Mars' fist before it could make contact with his face. Afterwards, he tried to fight back by throwing a left uppercut, only for Mars to use his one free hand to also catch the fist. From then on, both powerful beings quickly interlocked their fingers and proceeded to engage in a bare knuckle tie-up, trying to overpower one another, whiling at the same time, spinning around at high speeds and tearing through the clouds. However, Clark soon noticed Mars eyes glowing brighter than usual, and suspecting that he was about to fire another optic blast, he moved his head to the left to avoid Mars' blast, then delivered a stiff right knee strike to his abdomen, while at the same time releasing the War God's hands and allowing him to fly upward. Afterwards, Clark flew upward to Mars and threw a left hook.

However, Mars still proved to be just as resilient as Clark as he recovered quickly enough to see the punch coming his way and thus threw a right jab, with his fist colliding with Clark's and the impact being powerful enough to create a sonic boom. Afterwards, both Clark and Mars once again engaged with trading punches, flying through the sky at incredible speeds as well as create more loud booming sounds throughout the sky as a result of both being's fists making contact with one another.

Back in Rome, Dr. Fate, the League, and Lois and Jon were fetching the fight via the mystic screen, but were all having a hard time watching it because of how fast Clark and Mars were moving. Something that baffled the Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. "Damn, they're fast!" she said trying to catch a glimpse of either Clark or Mars, but to no avail. She then noticed that she was standing right next to the Flash himself, Barry Allen. "Barry, are you following any of this?"

Surprisingly thou, even Barry, the 'Fastest Man Alive', was having as much a hard time with keeping up with Clark and Mars as much as his teammates. Something in which he was somewhat reluctant to admit as he gave Jessica this somewhat discouraged reply. "I might if I was up there with them."

And it was here that Bruce Wayne, the Batman, felt that Clark needed his help, 'as usual', and thus pulled out a remote from his utility belt. "Well, if all of you won't fly up and bail him out, I might as well."

This caused Diana, Wonder Woman to both her teammates and the world, to turn to Bruce and give him a concerned raised eyebrow. "And how exactly to you plan on doing that?"

"By bringing air support," Bruce replied, pressing a red button on the remote, which sent out a signal for his personal jet, the Batwing, to pick up and follow.

This caught the attention of Dr. Fate, who looked over his shoulder to address Bruce. "I would advice against that," he said in a cautious tone, causing Bruce to look up and give the sorcerer a skeptic look. "For you see, the amulet I gave Superman before you came here is called the Cupid's bow, which is said to give it's wearer incredible strength, and is powered by the wearer's love in their heart. And I gave it to Superman because of not just his great physical power, but for his love for the world, it's people, his friends…" For a moment, Fate turned to the stunned Lois and Jon. "And for the both of you. Either way, he could very well be the only one who can truly defeat Mars."

While Lois, Jon and the rest of the League seemed to accept Fate's words, Bruce was not convinced and still kept the remote in hand. "Well, I'd much prefer science and technology over magic jewelry, especially with the whole planet at stake." Naturally, Bruce's words did not sit to well with his fellow Justice Leaguers, especially Lois, who at this point left Jon with Diana and angrily made her way to Bruce, who by this time was still looking at his beeping remote. "Batwing might not hurt Mars, but maybe I can at least keep him busy long enough for…"

Suddenly, the infuriated Lois grabbed Bruce's wrist and gained his attention. As much as she wanted to knock him out in front of the League, she still knew that this Batman just as good a person as the one in her world, and simply needed to be reminded about putting his faith in others, but she didn't have to be polite about it. "Not every damn situation needs whatever hard ass plan you can come up with!" she told Bruce sternly, then took a moment to calm herself, for the sake of Jon who was still looking on. "Look, I've been told that your world's Superman was your friend, and you trusted him. So, it wouldn't hurt for you to put some fain in my husband! Especially given the fact that he hasn't let you, or anyone else in this world down so far!"

Though Bruce did not show it, he was somewhat shocked and surprised by how Lois defended Clark, and also knew that she was in fact telling the truth on how HER Clark pulled through for not just him, but the League and the planet ever since he made himself known. As such, he let out a reluctant, if not somewhat defeat sigh as he turned off the remote, calling off the Batwing. "He has two minutes." Bruce told Lois as he placed the remote back in his belt.

As for Jon, he looked at his mother in both amazement and pride as she managed to put the fearsome Batman in his place. "All right, Mom," he said with a smile.

This also caused Diana, who also smiled with how Lois stood up for Clark, to place her hand on his shoulder to gain his attention and look up to her. "She's right, you know. About your dad."

Jon nodded his head respectfully to the Amazonian Princess, smiling present. "I know," he replied, feeling pride for his superhero father.

White Dr. Fate was glad to see a good man like Clark was blessed to have a supportive wife and son, he still looked worried as he continued to watch the fight, as by now, both Clark and Mars were beginning disappear and reappear on the screen, displaying their incredible speed. _"Well, the Cupid's bow should prove you right, Madame….or at least, I hope."_

 **END OF PART ONE**


	2. PART:2

The loud booms continued to be heard throughout the sky, until finally, it is Clark who is stent flying down after receiving a massive punch from Mars and ends up making a crash landing in a forest. After taking a moment to shake off the effects of such a rough landing, Clark got back up on his feet and is soon alerted by his more than acute hearing, namely that he could hear Mars coming down towards him with speed resembling that of a comet coming down from Earth. As such, he quickly held both of arms up over his head in an 'X' fashion, and moments later, Mars showed up and threw a right jab, which is successfully blocked and the impact being so strong, it caused the ground beneath Clark's feet to crack as well as created a shockwave which spanned for miles.

But even with his attack blocked, this did not stop Mars for long, for once he landed in his feet, he quickly threw a left legged front kick, aiming for Clark's abdomen.

Luckily for Clark though, he noticed this and threw both of his arms downward, blocking the kick. Afterwards, he attempted to fight back by throwing a left uppercut.

Mars saw this attack coming and leaned back to narrowly avoid the blow. As he stood up straight, he saw Clark going for a right cross and instantly held up both of his arms to the right side and caught his opponent's arm. Moments later, the War God made his move by using his right hand to grab Clark's wrist, and with his left hand, he managed to sneak in a quick back fist into Clark's farce, stunning him. With the Man of Steel disoriented, Mars then slid his left hand behind Clark's neck, and keeping a tight grip on Clark's wrist with his other hand, delivered a stiff left legged knee strike to the abdomen, knocking the wind out of Clark and causing him to go almost completely limp. With Earth's Man of Tomorrow now at his mercy, Mars grabbed both of Clark's shoulders, and with a loud yell, threw him to the right side, causing Clark to hit and knock over a tree.

But even after taking so much punishment, Clark still willed himself to stand up, shaking from the last hit. "Argh…"

"You think you can defeat me?" asked Marks, feeling both confused and annoyed by Clark's resilience. "I am Mars! The God of War! I have seen empires rise and fall, what chance do you have against me?!"

A determined Clark cocked his right fist. "I always have a chance. And that's more than enough!"

This reply only made Mars let out an aggravated grunt. "You mortals always amaze me with your gullibility." With that said, Mars dashed forward at blinding speed and quickly through a right jab.

Luckily for Clark though, he stopped this attack by throwing a quick right jab of his own, with his fist collided with Mars'. From then on, both he and the God of War started throwing lightning fast punches at one another, with their fists connected with every blow and making loud booming noises every time they made contact.

However, it is Mars who gets the upper hand by ducking one incoming left jab from Clark, then passed underneath his left side, then used his right arm to deliver a stiff right elbow strike to his back, causing Clark to tumble forward.

Fortunately, Clark managed to stop himself by holding his hands out grabbing a tree right in front of him, thus giving him a chance to recompose himself. He is then alerted of Mars speeding towards him thanks to his hearing, and thus quickly ducked and narrowly avoided Mars' incoming right hook, causing him to punch the tree down instead.

While in a kneeling position, Clark turned to face Mars, then fought back by breathing in through his nose, and blowing out through his mouth, which thanks to his powerful lungs, let out a huge gust of wind which was strong enough to send Mars himself flying backward a few feet. Afterwards, Clark shot up from off the ground like missile being shot from out of a cannon, and flew straight towards Mars with his left fist cocked back.

But even in such a vulnerable situation, Mars spotted Clark throwing a left hook and saved himself by using both of his hands to grab the Man of Steel's arm and gives him shoulder throw, sending him down hard towards the ground.

Clark also managed to save himself by pointing both his hands and feet down and managed to land on all fours, which resulted in creating a huge crack in the ground. Afterwards, he looked up his shoulder to see Mars coming down towards him and thus dashed to the right side, avoiding Mars' downward straight punch and causing the War God to pound his fist into the ground instead, which in turn, turned the crack into a large crater.

The kneeling Mars looked to his left to see Clark, who by this time was now hovering a few inches off the ground to avoid falling as the crater was being made, and thus charged towards him, throwing a right hook.

Luckily for Clark though, he stopped this attack by using his left hand to catch the War God's incoming fist, and attempted to fight back by throwing a right middle punch, aiming for Mars' abdomen.

However, Mars was just as quick on defense as he used his left hand to easily catch Clark's fist before it could hit his gut. Moments later, he released Clark's fist so he can pull back both of his hands and throw a left legged knee strike.

Clark, on the other hand, stopped this by using his right leg to throw a knee strike of his own, to which his kneecap collided with the War God's, and while the impact resulted in another sonic boom, it placed both him and Mars in a stalemate.

 **END OF PART 2**


	3. PART: 3

Back in Rome, Dr. Fate and the rest were all on edge as they watched Clarks fight against Mars. But the most concerned for Clark's well-being was that of his own family, Lois and Jon, who find themselves practically glued to the mystic screen. At one point, when the screen showed Clark receiving a hard rising elbow strike to his chin by the attacking Mars, causing Jon and his mother to jump back a little. "No!" Jon exclaimed, then stepped forward to the screen. "Come on Dad, you can take him!"

Lois squeezed her son's shoulders. She knew Clark had faced more threats than she could count and always came out on top. _"Come on Smallville, this should be child's play for you."_

The Cyborg Vic Stone also watched the fight, looking just as worried as everyone else, and let out a sigh as a way to try and calm himself. "Well, at least Supes can keep up with that godly chump."

Bruce and Diana, two seasoned fighters in their own right, were also watching the fight, and upon hearing Vic's words, a concerned Bruce decided to make his opinion known. "That might be what Mars wants Kent to think, Stone."

Naturally, Diana rolled her eyes and groaned in aggravation to Bruce's observation, especially in front of Clark's family. "Ever the pessimist."

"Ever the realist," Bruce retorted, still keeping his eyes on the mystic screen and watching closely as Mars and Clark continued to trade punches. "Clark's good, no question about that, but this Mars has been alive allot longer than any of us, meaning that he must have centuries worth of experience. So, for all we know, Mars might be letting Kent 'think' that their evenly matched and is waiting for a chance for him to get cocky and take advantage!" As Bruce said that, he soon gained shocked expressions from everyone in the room. "I don't down know if Kent has a plan, but he does, he better act on it and damn quick!"

 **END OF PART 3**


	4. PART: 4

Meanwhile, back in the forest, the fight between Clark and Mars was starting to heat up. Mars soon threw a left hook, only for Clark to duck to avoid it. This only frustrated the War God further, and when he saw Clark pop up, he used that same arm to drive his elbow into the right side of his neck.

Luckily, through the corner of his right eye, Clark spotted his attack and used his right hand to grab Mars' elbow. Afterwards, he tried to fight back by throwing a left middle punch, only to have it stopped when Mars used his right hand to catch the fist before it could reach his gut.

As for Mars, he only grunted angrily as he used his strength to keep Clark's fist away from her person. _"This is getting annoying,"_ he thought, then pushed both of Clark's arms upward, only to give him the opportunity to deliver a right legged front kick, nailing Clark in the 'S' emblem on his chest and sending him staggering backward.

Fortunately for Clark, he managed to save himself from falling by levitating a few feet up into the air. Normally, he would instinctively use his heat vision to try and keep Mars or whatever foe he's fighting at a distance, but sadly, he knew he could use such a tactic without the risk of starting a forest fire. As such, he settled for raising his right fist up, flew downward and pounced his fist into the ground, causing a small earthquake.

While this succeeded in causing Mars to stumble and fall to the ground, the War God decided to use this to his advantage by secretly grabbing some dirt into his right hand. As he sat up into a kneeling position, he saw Clark flying down towards him like a speeding bullet, and thus rolled to the right side and avoided getting hit both Clark's incoming left hook. After stopping, the War God pushed himself back up, with dirt still tightly clinched in his closed hand, and as he turned around, he saw Clark making a U-turn and charging towards him once again. It was here that Mars waited for Clark to come in close, and once the time was right, he threw dirt into Clark's eyes and dashed to the left side, causing the now blinded Man of Steel to land and roll violently into the ground.

Once Clark stopped rolling, he slowly started to sit up, blinking rapidly in a desperate attempt to get the dirt out of his eyes. Unfortunately, he is caught by surprise when he felt what must have been a freight training ramming itself into the right side and sending him flying into the air.

It turned out to be none other than Mars, who at this point kicked the defenseless Clark like he was a football. Once he saw the Kryptonian airborne, Mars flew right after him, and once he was close enough, started jabbing the index and middle fingers in both of his hands into Clark's chest with incredible speed. The War God then capped things off by delivering a right legged front kick into Clark's abdomen, sending him crashing through four trees landing violently in the ground.

Despite taking such punishment, a woozy but determined Clark still managed to will himself back up to his feet. But as he did so, he received quite the shock when he could not more, or feel, both of his now dangling arms. "My…my arms!" he exclaimed, then looked forward to see Mars slowly walk towards him. "Did you…?!"

"Strike pressure points? Yes," Mars replied. "After all, someone of my position must know ALL styles of hand-to-hand combat. I'll admit, it took some guess work when it came to your body, but apparently, I was successful in hitting a few points that will prevent you from using those massive arms of yours."

Back in Rome, the League saw this and were naturally disturbed. But none more than Lois, who looked on in pure fright. "Oh no…"

In the forest, Mars stopped for a moment to pop the knuckles in his right hand. "All in which will make it easier for me to get this little skirmish of ours over with!" With that declaration, Mars jumped up into the air and came down at Clark with his right fist cocked back.

Despite being literally and figuratively 'disarmed', Clark still managed to lunge and roll to the left side, successfully avoiding Mars' attack and forcing the War God to pound his right fist into the Earth instead, causing the ground to momentarily shake. Once he ended up in a kneeling position, Clark turned and saw Mars pulling his fist from out of the ground, then turned to face him with furious red eyes charged towards him once again. From here, Clark proved to the War God that he was far from being defenseless as he inhaled air through his nose and blew out, he pursed his lips to cause a decrease in temperature, causing ice to build up around Mars' body and freeze him in a block of ice just as he threw a right hook. Now with a clear advantage, Clark used his right leg to throw a front kick, which shattered the ice and sent the War God flying backward and landing hard on his back. Moments later, the Man of Steel leaped into the air and went to stomp both of his feet into Mars' chest.

Sadly, even on the ground, Mars saw this coming and quickly used both of his hands to catch Clark's feet. Even if things hadn't gone as well as he planned, Mars still couldn't help but chuckle, silently impressed with Clark's courage and determination. "I must admit, you've surprised me," said the War God. "You're much stronger and braver than all of the heroes I seen over the centuries. But now, I think it's time to end this game." With a firm grip on Clark's feet, Mars used his strength to slam the Man of Steel to left side, causing the ground itself to crack. As he got up, Mars, still holding on to the dazed Clark's feet, proceeded to spin Clark around in a circle at high speeds, until he finally threw him high into the air.

For Clark, having no feeling or control of his arms was bad enough, but with the fact that he was being thrown up into the air so hard, he was now entering space, he felt that things were becoming more and more challenging. Luckily though, he looked up and saw something that made his eyes light up with hope. It was that of Earth's yellow sun, the source of his power burning brightly. Knowing that its exposure would not only increase his powers, but also undo the pressure point attacks to restore mobility in his arms, Clark soon zoomed higher towards the burning star.

Unfortunately, Clark would be robbed of that chance when Mars showed up right in front of him and gave him a stiff right handed backfist to the face, sending Clark back down to Earth. All in which prompted a smiling Mars to do what he usually did when getting the upper hand on his opponents: gloat. "As you mortals would say…psyche!" With that said, Mars, held up both of his hands, and once again created a red sphere again, only this time, he put some much energy into it, that he made it the same size as the Earth itself! With a loud battle cry, the War God pushed the giant sphere down towards the Earth itself!

 **END OF PART 4**


	5. PART 5

Clark barely managed to stop himself from falling back down to Earth, and upon looking straight forward, his eyes grew wide with shock upon seeing the sphere coming down not towards him, but the Earth as well. As such, he channeled his energy into his eyes, causing them to glow bright crimson, and seconds later, he fired a large version of his heat vision at the sphere and proceeded to push it back.

Mars, however, simply channeled more power out of his hands and continued to push the sphere downward, putting both him and Clark in a power struggled. "You are a fascinating creature, Superman," Mars reluctantly admitted. "Even with the odds stacked against you, still continue to fight for the world you call home."

Though struggling to keep the sphere at bay, Clark still proved Mars right in that regard and continued to press on. "What can I say? I've learned never to give up hope!" he told the War God with strain in his voice. "A lesson taught to me by Johnathan and Martha Kent, two of the strongest Earthlings I know, and whether you know or not, there are more people like them on Earth! Which is why I won't let you destroy them as part of your war game!"

Mars only scoffed at Clark's determined reply. "Brave words, but you're hardly in any condition to back them up. So, in case you are able to survive this…BARE WITNESS TO THE FINAL FATE OF THE HUMAN RACE AS YOU KNOW IT!" The War God then let out a loud roar as he added more energy, causing the sphere to move down faster and actually powered through Clark's heat vision.

Clark tried his hardest to push the sphere back, but unfortunately, it was just too great, and it was long before Clark was actually consumed into the sphere itself, and everything around him appeared to go black. For a brief time, all Clark could see was nothing but pure darkness, something to which convinced him that he failed everyone on Earth. His family, his new found friends of the Justice League in this universe, to the people of the new Earth he had learned to call his home. However, his depression is brought to an end when he felt a warm sensation in his chest, more specifically, the area where the Cupid's Arrow amulet was located. And through this item's magic, Claw saw a few images…

 _The first was that of his wife, Lois Lane, with frantic tears in her eyes. "CLARK!"_

 _The next was that of his son, Jon, looking just as scared and teary-eyed as his mother. "DAD!"_

 _And the final was that of his teammates in the Justice League, with all of them, including Bruce, looking worried. "SUPERMAN!"_

…these images of the people he held most dear were enough to motivate Clark not to give up and try once again to fire his heat vision, with the plan to propel it back to Mars and keep it from reaching the planet. As the love he hand for his friends and family burned brightly, the amulet sensed it and began to cover Clark's body with golden energy once more, and it's mystical properties soon restored his body to full health, including restoring the mobility and the sensation in both of his arms. With that power boost, Clark let out a loud scream as he channeled this surging power into his eyes and fired a larger, more powerful heat blast, which ended up hitting the inner layer of the sphere and pushed it forward. Thanks to the golden aura around his body, the negative energy inside the sphere flowed off of Clark's golden frame like water as the Man of Steel pressed on with his blast, until finally, he successfully pushed the sphere away from both him and the Earth…and straight towards Mars himself.

"WHAT?!" Mars exclaimed in total disbelief as he saw the sphere approaching him, and thus held up his arms again to try and push it back. But thanks to Clark's power, the sphere actually hit the War God and sent him flying backward as well, forcing the War God to roll to the left side and let it pass right by him.

Even while firing his blast, Clark could see that Mars was off his giant ball of destruction, but for now, had to ignore him. His main priority was disposing of the sphere, and waited until the sphere passed right above the sun in order to avoid the risk of causing a supernova. Once the sphere flew right above giant burning star of this solar system, a screaming Clark increased the power of his blast, and in the process, filled the sphere with so much energy, it exploded in a pink energy shockwave that briefly spread throughout space before evaporating.

Once Mars saw the sphere, the key that would start his much wanted war, completely destroyed, it caused his eyes to literally burn with fury and cause a red, burning glow to appear on his body. He then turned to look down at Clark, who by this time stopped firing his eye blast, but also looking exhausted and drained, which usually resulted in ampping up his heat vision. As Mars looked closer, he could see that Clark was wearing the Cupid's arrow, which by now appeared to be turned to stone, most likely burning out after giving Clark the energy boost. _"So, the Kryptonian had some help,"_ thought the now lived War God. _"And since my plans are now thwarted, I suppose I can 'help' Superman's enemies…BY GIVING HIM A PAINFUL DEATH!"_ With that declaration, the furious Mars flew down towards Clark at incredible speed, and seconds later, rammed his right shoulder into the Man of Steel's abdomen as they both reentered the Earth's atmosphere and came back down to the planet in flames.

As Clark struggled to free himself from Mars' grip, he briefly looked over his shoulder and used his microscopic vision to see where he and his godly attacker were going to land. It didn't take long for Clark to find out, and once he saw it, it made his eyes grow wide with fear. _"Oh no….NO!"_

It turned out to be that of Metropolis, a city that he, at one point, called home but more importantly, a city containing over a million people! Some of whom could get hurt or worse if he and Mars were to crash into it. And thanks to Mars driving him down, both men coming down to Earth at a much faster rate and would be crashing into Metropolis in mere seconds, thus forcing Clark to frantically search for a place, any place, in the city that had no innocent bystanders. Moments later, Clark found such a place in Centennial Park, where there was a section of pure grass and the only part of the park that was completely uninhabited.

Clark knew that it was a small place to crash land, but knew that there was no alternative. And so, with his right leg, Clark delivered three hard knee strikes to Mars' abdomen until he finally broke his hold, then grabbed the War God's shoulders and turned him right in front of him, all so he could steer him as within seconds, they arrived at the park and crashed into the grassy, unpopulated spot with a large bang.

Needless to say, this caught the attention of many people in the city, who all watched both Clark and Mars fall from the sky like a comet and crashed into the Earth. It didn't take long for people, be it police officers following both beings into the park, and a large number of people who were in the park but from a short distance away from the grassy spot which was now a large smoking crater. Moments later, people started to gather around the large hold in the ground, with numerous police officers trying to hold them back. Finally, as the smoke cleared, the people around the crater saw Clark, their Superman, barely manage to stand up and stay on his feet, but nevertheless, the all greeted their hero with cheers and applause.

Though still in a daze, Clark shook his head repeatingly, trying to regain focus quick enough to grab Mars, whom he hoped was unconscious, and get him out of the city before he could hurt anyone.

However, just as Clark was beginning to get a clear head, Mars had already recovered, then ran up behind Clark, wrapped his arms around his waist and gave the disoriented Ma of Tomorrow a belly to back suplex throwing Clark backward and causing him to land hard on his shoulders and neck. The War God then sat up, and with his eyes literally burning with fury, he walked over to the still fallen Clark with the intent of using his godly might to give him the worst beating of his life as punishment for ruining his plans. However, just as Mars approached downed Clark and was about to stomp his head into the ground, but at the last moment, he stopped when he heard the voice belonging to that of a little girl…

"Daddy, daddy, don't let him hurt Superman!"

Thinking that someone was about to indeed help Clark, Mars looked up to where he heard the voice, and while he saw someone that could be classified as a 'warrior' in this time, but what he also saw left him baffled.

It turned out to be one of the uniformed police officers trying to hold the people back a man of Latino decent, and with him were his wife, a Caucasian woman, and their daughter, an eight year old girl of mixed heritage, all of whom were having a nice friendly meeting in the park when both Clark and Mars arrived. "I won't sweetie, but Supes has been though worse," the officer told his daughter, then turned to his with urgency. "But you two need to get out of here now!"

For Mars, seeing a Latino man with a white woman together, as well as having a child of their own was new. Still, he felt compelled to address them. "You there!" he cried out, getting the cop's attention. "That woman and child, you know them?"

The policeman instinctively stepped in front of his family, in hopes of keeping Mars focused on him and allow his wife and child to escape. "They're my family," he answered back truthfully, then pulled out his side arm, which was a newly commissioned laser pistol designed to stop meta-humans, and pointed it at Mars. "And I don't give a damn how strong you are, I'm not gonna let you hurt them or anyone else here!"

It was here that Mars couldn't help but admired the cop's inner strength and courage to protect his family, as well as the people in the park. And it was such qualities he would expect to see in great warriors in ancient Rome. However, not wanting to show this moment of weakness to the crowd, he disguised his feelings by chuckling darkly. "You? A mere mortal stop the God of War? Sisyphus would be a better chance of…" Suddenly, through the corner of his left eye, he spotted two more people in the crowd that showed that same strength, and like before, it seemed to be from the unlikeliest of people.

It was that of two women, one a Caucasian blond, and the other an African American, both holding hands that only two lovers would. And though they were both scared, they were determined to stick together no matter what. And it was that same determination that they used to stand to those who condemned them and said that their love was wrong.

And it was also that said determination that Mars expected to see in many great warriors, and though they impressed him, he was still shocked to see this kind of bravery in from two women of the same gender. "What?! What is this?! These are not soldiers, but how can they possess such…?"

"Strength?" Clark chimed in, wincing a bit as he slowly sat up. "What you see is the strength of love, Mars! Something that's experienced in all living things, no matter how different. Love strengthens us all, and drives us to be brave for those whom we cherish, as well as drive us to try and make the world better for everyone, proving that a full-scale war is not necessary." Finally, Clark managed to find the strength to get back up on his feet, and look at the War God with a content expression. "And if improving the human race was your true goal, you can still contribute to the strength you see here…by abandoning your plan and returning where you came from."

At this point, the only thing Mars could do was let out a sigh of defeat, because as much as he hated to admit it, Clark had a point when it came to the strength of this new generation of mortals, which by now were all clapping after hearing Clark's speech. Suddenly though, before Mars could make his thoughts known, he, along with Clark, are covered in a white, glowing light, and vanish out of thin air, leaving the crowd stunned and confused.

Moments later, both Clark and Mars finally arrived in front of what appeared to be a golden gate, which opened and showed a young man dressed in a red toga, but also a winged helmet and holding a gold staff with the top having two snakes coming together and wings on the top. This was the attire of Mercury, messenger of the Roman Gods. "Greetings gentlemen," he said in a light-hearted. "I must say, the two of you put on quite a show."

Clark was a bit stunned by this development, but he nonetheless gave Mercury both a small smile and a nod, appreciating he wasn't as aggressive as Mars.

As for the War God himself, he couldn't help but be shocked and baffled with how his fellow god just abruptly transported him and Clark out of Earth. "Mercury, what is the meaning of this?!"

"Well," said Mercury with a sly smirk. "Lord Jupiter, as well as the rest of the gods, have caught wind of your war plan, and are…quite unhappy. Henceforth, I am to bring you to Lord Jupiter himself so you can discuss your punishment."

Mars scoffed at this news, nevertheless, let out a sigh and chuckled. "I figured as much," said the War God, and upon accenting his fate, he took a deep breath, concentrated and uses his godly energy to create a new chestplate and cape to replace those he lost in battle. He then looked at Clark, the opponent to whom he just lost to, and in the process, grew to respect with how he performed in battle. "This day is yours, Kryptonian. You have convinced me that humans do possess the strength to be better, and as their champion, it is now responsibility to keep inspiring them to do so. But I warn you, and the humans, not to slack off. Because if you do, and the human's spirits are less than satisfying…I will be back."

Though Clark was still weary on Mars' promise to return, he still returned his respect and nodded to him as well. "I'll keep that in mind."

Mercury's smile grew wider in looking at Clark, the man who just saved the people of Earth in more ways than one. "The Gods thank you, Superman. Now go, and enjoy the rewards of your victory." With that declaration, Mercury tapped his staff, and moments later, Clark vanished once again…

…and reappeared back in the Colosseum, right in front of his family and teammates in the Justice League.

"DAD!" yelled an ecstatic Jon, who ran in with incredible speed and hugged Clark, but in the process knocked him off of his feet.

Nevertheless, the exhausted Clark chuckled as he sat up and ruffled his son's hair. "I missed you too, kiddo."

The next to run over to Clark was Lois, who approaching her husband, got down on her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Thank god," she said with tears of joy going down her cheeks. "You scared you family half to death, Clark Kent!"

I know, and I'm sorry," Clark replied, using his other arm to return his wife's embrace, but son realized that she and Jon were here in the Colosseum and not at their home where he last left them. This prompted him to gently pushing his family back so he can address them. "But how is it that the two of you are here in Rome and not back in the states?"

Jon is the one to answer his father, gleeful smile and all. "Well, Dr. Fate said that you kinda brought us here," he explained, then pointed at the Cupid's arrow that was still around Clark's neck. "With that."

As Clark soon looked down at the amulet, Dr. Fate and the rest of the League soon approached. "The child speaks the truth," said the helmeted sorcerer. "Apparently, your love for you family is what awakened the power in the amulet, and by doing so-"

Suddenly, Bruce stepped in front of Dr. Fate to address the matter of the now missing Mars. "But more importantly," said Bruce, cutting Dr. Fate off. "Where is Mars?"

Clark, like his teammates, was offended by Bruce's brashness, but nevertheless answered him. "It's all right Bruce, he's being dealt with as we speak. He's no long a problem."

Naturally, Bruce raised a curious, if not skeptic eyebrow upon hearing this answer. "So, you've beaten him?"

"Yeah," then looked down at the amulet one final time, and remembered what it gave him to defeat the War God. "And to do that, I had a little help." As he explained, Clark to the moment to grab and hug both Lois and Jon. "From you two," he told his family, then looked up at Bruce, Diana and the rest of the confused members of the League. "As well as from all of you," Suddenly, with his superhero hearing, Clark could hear cheers from the grateful Roman people outside the Colosseum, and how their happiness reminded him of the people that also aided him back in Centenniel Park. "To the goodness in the people that we strive to protect. "

The League were still baffled by Clark's words, and it's a perplexed Simon Baz who asked what he and the rest of his teammates are thinking. "And what's that Miss America speech supposed to mean?"

This response made Clark laugh a little, knowing that his fellow Justice Leaguers wouldn't understand right away. "I'll fill you in in the next meeting. But for now, seeing is how the world is no longer in danger, I just want to go home….and get some rest."

Lois was in full agreement of this, seeing is how they've all had enough excitement for one day. But, with a warm smile, she gently placed her right hand on Clark's left cheek and turned his head to face her. "Well, before we do that, Smallville," she told her husband, then leaned in and kissed Clark's lips with all the love and affection in her heart.

Something in which Jon didn't take too kindly too and turned away in disgust. "Eeeeeeewwww!"

Naturally, the rest of the League laughed at Jon's response, and it was Barry who walked up and ruffled his hair. "You won't thing that way for long, kid. Just wait a few years."

Two of the Leaguers, Bruce and Diana, watched the team gather around Clark and his family, and while a grinning Diana went over to Clark to see she can help him back to his feet, Bruce stayed behind, appearing to be brooding once again, but was secretly proud of Clark and how he did just as well as the Superman in this world did. _"Not bad, Kent, not bad."_

As for Dr. Fate, he also watched the League gather around Clark from afar, and at one point, he caught a glimpse of the Cupid's arrow, causing him to smile behind his helmet. _"Love can work in mysterious ways, but it's nice to know that it's powerful enough to save us all, and more importantly, bring people together."_

 **THE END**


End file.
